LINDA RIGGS TURNS UP
Adair MacKenzie was quick to note the change in their mood. "Wells Fargo
and Co., Madero 14." He gave instructions to the chauffeur, and then
turned to Nan. "It's the American Express of this country," he explained
in a tone that indicated that they had no right to call it other than
the "American Express". "We'll pick up mail there. You see."
"What have you done to the old man?" Walker Jamieson questioned as he
helped Nan out of the car a few minutes later. "Why, Alice," he
continued, assisting her too, "he's practically putty in her hands."
"I know," Alice smiled as she took Nan's arm and walked along beside
her. "It is amazing and I'm almost jealous. I thought that I was the
only one in the world that could manage him." She looked fondly in the
direction of Adair MacKenzie who had already passed through the door and
was at the counter inside demanding his mail.
"See, what did I tell you?" He asked triumphantly when they all entered
together. "There's a whole bunch of mail here. See." He held up a truly
large package of letters, letters from home for each of the girls. As
they all crowded around him, he teased them by delaying the process of
handing them out.
"Let's see, this one looks interesting, mighty interesting." He lingered
over the address. "But the writing isn't very clear."
Alice reached for it as though to help him out. He raised his arm high.
"No, it's not for you," he shook his head at her. "This mailman always
delivers his mail to the proper person. Now, stand back all of you,
while I look again."
"This is as bad or worse than it is at school when they distribute mail,
isn't it?" Laura nudged Nan. "But look, isn't the old duck getting a
kick out of it all?"
Nan nodded. There was only one thing that she was really impatient
about. She wanted to know now, right away, whether there was any word
from Rhoda. She felt as though she couldn't stand it a moment longer not
to know.
"Please, Cousin Adair," she begged, "is there anything there at all from
Rhoda?"
"Yes, father, tell us quickly," Alice chimed in.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Adair MacKenzie was immediately all contrition. "H-m-m,
wait." He leafed quickly through the pack.
"Yes, there is something," he admitted at last. "It's addressed to
Nan." With this he handed a yellow telegram over to her. "Take it
easily," he advised, while they all waited anxiously for Nan to open
it. She tore the seal, pulled the message out, dropped it in her
nervousness, and then when it was restored to her hands, read it slowly
to herself.
At long last she looked up. "It's--" she caught her breath before she
could continue--"all right. Rhoda's mother is going to get well." Saying
this, she passed the telegram over to Bess and Laura, and then, before
she realized at all what was happening, her eyes welled up with tears.
"Why, Nan, darling!" Alice exclaimed, "don't cry. Everything's all right
now. Come," she drew from her own purse a pretty white handkerchief and
wiped Nan's tears away, "you'll have us all in tears."
Nan took the handkerchief away from her and wiped her own eyes, hard.
Then she smiled. "Don't mind me," she laughed. "I'm just an old silly.
Please, cousin Adair, what's in the rest of that package."
"Yes, what's in it?" Even Adair MacKenzie sounded as though he had lost
possession of himself for a moment. Now, he collected himself again and
took the party in his hands, as he had had it before. "Too much stalling
around here," he grumbled to no one in particular, and then went on with
the distribution of the mail.
The letters from home were fun to get, fun to read, and fun to share.
Each one was read and re-read a dozen times by the girl that received
it, and then it was passed around and enjoyed by all the others. There
were letters from their mothers and fathers and letters from their
friends. There was a round robin from their pals at school.
Though all of them had news, this last had the choicest bits.
"Do you know that," it began, "Professor Krenner and Dr. Beulah Prescott
are going to be married before the summer is over?"
"Nan," Bess stopped Nan who was reading the bit aloud to the others, "is
it true? Did I hear you right?"
"I guess you did," Nan's eyes looked merry now. She of all the girls had
been the only one who knew that this announcement was coming. Beloved by
Dr. Beulah and the best student and most wide-awake person that had ever
come to Dr. Krenner's attention, she had been in their confidence before
school had closed.
The romance between the Principal of Lakeview and one of its most
scholarly instructors had blossomed the summer the two had escorted the
present group of girls on their European trip. Professor Krenner joined
the party in London, just before the coronation. There he and Dr.
Prescott learned of the million and one things they had in common. Nan
knew of this, knew too that the wedding was to take place in the chapel
at Lakeview just before school opened. Already, she had planned to
attend.
Now, she went on with the reading of the round robin. "Do you know," she
continued, "that the old boathouse where we had that grand party on
Bess's twenty-five dollars, is going to be pulled down and a big new one
built?
"That the dormitories are being redecorated and that corridor four where
we have rooms is going to have all the walls done over and that serapes
will look especially nice hanging on them?
"And that, and this is the biggest piece of news of all, Linda Riggs is
someplace in Mexico?"
"No!" the exclamation was Bess's. If it was possible to say that one
girl in the room disliked the proud Linda more than the rest, Bess was
that girl.
"I hate her. I just hate her." Bess had said vehemently many times. And
well she might, for often in the days that followed the registration of
Bess and Nan at Lakeview, Linda had purposely embarrassed and humiliated
them. At first, Bess, because she naturally coveted wealth, and Linda
was a very wealthy girl, had tried to make friends with "Her Highness"
as Laura dubbed Linda. But her efforts always ended disastrously.
Nan, as all those who have followed the fortunes of the young girl know,
time and again tried to help Linda. Once or twice she was instrumental
in saving her life. But despite this, whenever Linda was in a position
to do so, she managed to belittle Nan, to snub her rudely, to make her
just as uncomfortable as she possibly could.
So Nan and Bess had particular reasons for disliking the girl who had
even been expelled from school for one bit of meanness that caused an
explosion which might easily have cost the lives of many of the Lakeview
Hall students. Linda, in other words, was cordially hated by most of the
students of the fashionable boarding school.
Now, the news that she was in Mexico brought consternation to the group.
"It's just as I've always said," Bess fumed. "It's impossible to go
anyplace without having her turn up."
"Probably likes you and just won't admit it." Laura could well afford to
add fuel to the flame. Linda generally avoided her.
"She doesn't like me and you know it, Laura Polk," Bess exclaimed. "Why
she had to come down here when there's all the rest of the world for her
to travel in, I don't know. But you can just be sure of this, no good
will come of it."
"Sh! Bess," Nan warned as she looked over to one side where Adair
MacKenzie, Alice, and Walker Jamieson were deep in consultation.
"I'm sorry, Nan," Bess lowered her voice, "but I just don't seem to be
able to control myself when that girl comes to mind. She's caused us so
much unhappiness that I can't stand her."
"I know," Nan was genuinely sympathetic, "but don't you worry, we
probably won't see her at all. Mexico, after all, is a pretty big
place."
"Yes, it has twenty-seven states, besides the Federal District and the
Territory of Lower California." Laura quoted the guidebook glibly.
"Doesn't make any difference," Bess said firmly. "If she's anywhere in
the country, there's no escaping her. We'll meet her." She ended
positively.
How truly Bess spoke, the crowd was soon to find out, but the
circumstances and the far-reaching results must be left to other
chapters.